Not Particularly Special
by Octavia-Snape
Summary: Set during COS, the main character is Muggleborn and not taking to Wizarding life at all- she's trying to figure out what she is when someone decides to let a Muggleborn-attacking monster loose.
1. Not So Average Joe

1. A Not So Average Joe

It had been hard to say goodbye to her friends, the people she had known all her life, lying to them had been easy but saying goodbye had been hard. She knew that despite their promises they would soon forget about her and the things she had done, it would be just like she had never attended the school and never been friends with them. And by knowing this it made her heart even sadder.

She had never wanted to be anything special, at school she had never strived towards any high goal but settled for attaining an average life. She never auditioned for the lead role in plays, or sang solo in the choir; she never overachieved in class and never gave the full 101 in sports. She was completely and utterly normal and then the incident had happened.

She had been playing "British Bulldog" with her classmates on the large playground, her best friends holding her hand whilst she grinned at the dark haired boy in the middle. She had screamed with glee as they ran across the ground, the three splitting up and diving around the boy but he smiled at her and chased after her. It was when he grabbed her that it happened. Her eyes went wide, pupils thinning and then the world fell and he fell with her.

She had ended up in a coma for a week, physicians trying to explain it away as either a summer faint or an epileptic episode and her parents had almost believed them until the gentleman arrived. He was tall and kind, old though his eyes sparkled with youthful energy and he smelt like lemons. He asked her a few questions, as well as her parents and her doctors.

He asked if anything like this had happened before and whether or not anything else strange had ever happened to her. He asked her if she liked school and what subjects she was good at. He asked her who her favourite author was, what colour she preferred and her favourite sweets. He then asked her to touch his hand and she had done so, it was when the old man slumped, as if from weariness and dropped almost to the floor that she screamed.

They had taken her out of the hospital, the man had explained there was nothing doctors could do, and she spent the remainder days of term at home watching the children play outside in the street. He had explained to her parents about her 'condition', which was apparently rare but not unknown and had explained that perhaps his school could help. Her parents had said yes and they began to make preparations for her time away from home.

They had gone with him to buy school supplies and extra things she would need and she stayed at home watching the summer flit by. It had been quite hot when they had left this morning and she had longed for her summer dress to wear but her mother had been quite insistent. She had left the house wearing her school shirt that covered her arms and chest, a black skirt that covered her legs and beneath that, just in case, she wore thick black tights and wore long black gloves on her arms. She had hated every minute of the journey to the station, even though the Air Conditioning was turned right up and she was able to slip the shoes off her feet.

She had looked longingly at the girls at the station, all wearing short dresses or cool clothing and had blushed furiously at the stares she had received in return from them. As the train got ready to depart she watched a family, getting quite frantic as they realised somebody was missing, and an older woman who kissed a nervous looking girl fondly on her cheek and put her on the train with her brothers. Her own mother looked at her nervously and went to hug her before her father stopped her; her mother shook her hand formally and smiled sadly.

She found an empty carriage and took the window seat looking back at her parents, her mother was crying in her father's arms. She put her glove-clothed hand on the window and wished she wasn't here. The train pulled away and she watched as her parents got smaller and smaller until all at once they were out of sight. She was off on an adventure. She was off to Hogwarts.


	2. Fit To Burst

**2. Fit To Burst.**

It was quiet for a while, the train lurching occasionally as it turned corners in the city, and it was very lonely. Her mother had made promises of her making friends but she doubted that with her condition she would, so she passed the first few minutes after leaving in perfect isolation. But it was not to last, as she found out when the door burst open and a small but exuberant looking boy burst in, a camera swinging from side to side around his neck.

"Hi!" he said, pulling a trunk and a satchel into the carriage, practically heaving the trunk. He stood on the seat of the carriage and pushed the trunk into the stow-away. As the train lurched around a bend, so did he, but caught himself quickly and placed his other bag next to his trunk. Wiping dusty hands on his jeans he sat down, bouncing slightly on the seat opposite hers. "I'm Colin Creevey, nice to meet you," he said, extending his hand.

She regarded Colin's pale, slightly calloused fleshy hands and looked at him nervously. Even though still gloved, and longing for human contact, she was still wary of even the smallest contact. He looked hurt and wary, as if he had done something wrong, and before he pulled his hand away, she reached out and shook it firmly with her gloved hand.

"Oh good, I err…thought I'd done something wrong then. I don't know if witches and wizards shake hands or not, I'm Muggleborn, you see." Colin explained, rapidly grinning as if proud of that fact.

"Neither do I, I mean about the handshake. I'm Muggleborn too," she said quietly, her old spirit being lifted by a simple introduction.

"Really? Then why are you wear- I mean your clothes are a bit, err…aren't you hot in all those clothes?" Colin asked, his cheeks flushing with colour. She looked at herself in the window, her dark clothes covering her from neck to toe and she remembered the stares of the other girls on the platform. The girls who were laughing at her because of her strange appearance.

"I'm boiling," She answered truthfully, hoping not to have to explain why she was wearing all these layers to him.

"Then take something off!" He said laughingly, his arms flailing slightly as he bounced in his seat. He never perceived this as anything more illicit but she blushed despite both their innocence.

"I can't, I have a condition.," she said quietly and ashamedly. A condition that put exuberant boys in the Intensive Care Unit, a condition that caused her to go catatonic and slip in to coma's. Despite the other gifted children around her, she knew even here in the Magical world she would still be treated like a freak.

"What kind of condi-" Colin stopped mid word and turned to look at the frizzy haired girl who had just entered the compartment and was staring at them both.

"Have either of you seen two boys- one with dark hair and glasses, the other's tall and has red hair?" she asked bossily and, noting their confused looks, sighed and huffed slightly. "Never mind, bloody boys." The girl left as suddenly as she'd arrived and left them alone, but the interruption was what was needed, as Colin didn't stray back onto her condition.

They talked; or rather Colin talked, about their families. And she learned that Colin had a younger brother named Dennis, that his father was a milkman and that he had inherited his camera at the age of nine, from his grandfather who had passed it on to him in the hopes of keeping the family tradition going. She learned that wizard cameras were nothing at all like their Muggle counterparts but that Colin still favoured his old trustworthy camera.

As the lady with the food trolley came around, Colin went and managed to persuade her to give him small samples of the food. He ended up buying a stack of pumpkin pasties, some bottles of milk and some chocolate frogs. She bought some liquorice wands and a pumpkin pasty and sat back down with Colin who was eating his with exuberance and thanking the lady profusely.

Taking off her gloves she picked up the pasty and bit into it. It was delicious, if a little strange and she enjoyed the feeling of eating with bare hands again. As soon as she was done she wiped her hands and replaced her gloves, although she couldn't pull them back up all the way and ended up settling for the ends hanging loose around her wrists. Colin noted this but didn't say anything to her, and sat quietly for a while eating the food he had bought and offering her some of his milk.

The night was drawing in and according to a clock they were approaching their new school. Colin left to change into his robes and she re-adjusted the long gloves, put on her tie and pulled the robes over her skirt. She looked odd, and felt odder. Nearly all of her skin was covered with material of some sort and her cheeks were flushed from the heat, she must have been dripping with sweat but she didn't care. She was too nervous about the fast approaching school.

Colin knocked and re-entered the room, giving her a little twirl of his new ensemble. He picked up his camera and held it out to her, taking it from his hands she wandered what he wanted her to do.

"Would you take a picture, it's for my parents, I told them I'd take lots when I got here you see," Colin said and smiled awkwardly. "The focus should be alright so all you need to do is flip this back and click the top," Colin said, demonstrating."Okay," she looked through the lens and centred Colin, clicking the button she was careful not to jerk the camera, as that would ruin the shot. Handing the camera back to Colin she smiled slightly. "I hope it turns out okay."

"It will," Colin assured her, winding the film on and pointing the camera at her, fiddling with the focus he looked through the eyepiece and then looked over the camera at her. "Do you mind if I take your picture?" Colin asked and she shook her head. Colin snapped quietly and repeated the process. "Now I have a picture of my first friend at school to send back home."

She smiled and wondered if he would still be her friend if he knew the truth. She wondered if he would distance himself like her old friends and then have his memory erased like they had. She wondered if he would take another picture of her again if she told him. Nodding as a Prefect told them to leave their stuff, Colin blatantly ignored this and took his camera, they left the train compartment and stepped onto the platform.

They followed a tall man to the lake where they got into a boat with a blonde haired girl and a boisterous dark haired girl. She clung desperately to the side of the boat and let it pull them into the safety of the shore where she was grateful to be on firmer footing. The tall man, apparently named Hagrid, knocked loudly on the door and was greeted by a stern woman. They were led up the stairs, into an anteroom and left there; during the time it took the woman to reappear a loud-mouthed redhead proclaimed that they were about to face a troll. She recognised the girl as being the girl whose mother had kissed her fondly and worriedly thought about the fact that the girl had elder brothers here who had probably told her this.

Colin nudged her slightly encouragingly as the doors opened and they were led into a great, and completely overwhelming, hall. Told by said stern woman that they were about to be sorted, they were mystified when a hat was produced and she felt enormously relieved when it was revealed that they would just be wearing the hat and not facing a troll.

Colin was one of the first and he tripped on his way up, bouncing on the stool slightly and the hat, seemingly frustrated with his eagerness to take pictures, sent him quickly off to Gryffindor. Colin ran towards the red and gold banners and sat at the table, where his housemates warmly accepted him.

More students were sorted and then it was her turn. She regarded the old man who had visited her in hospital, he winked at her- as her name was read out.

"Marie Holmes."


	3. To Make An Ass

Chapter Three: To make an ass. 

Hearing her name Marie looked up towards the end of the room where the hat and stool awaited her. Moving between students, being particularly careful not to touch anyone, Marie finally stood before the stool where her fate at Hogwarts would be decided. Sitting on the stool she was offered the hat by a stern looking woman who held it out for Marie's gloved hands. The hat would never be placed on her head; even the teachers feared her and she didn't blame them- she was scared too.

She hung her head low as she looked through thick veils of hair for her friend in Gryffindor; Colin. Finding the small boy she smiled lightly at him. He was sitting with fingers crossed and was mouthing "Gryffindor" over and over again. Placing the hat on her head she thought she wouldn't mind being in Colin's house.

"Gryffindor?" A voice asked her and she swallowed the shriek of alarm that nearly erupted from her mouth. "No, Gryffindor's not right for you at all. If it weren't for your…blood then I'd put you in Slytherin. Let me think about this," the hat said, as it examined her every fault and failings, every single thing she had achieved and all of the things she wanted to achieve. The hat's next suggestion of House, however, had her clenching her hands unconsciously. "Not Hufflepuff, only one place left then. Better be- RAVENCLAW!"

Reaching up to remove the hat, she handed it to the stern Head of Gryffindor who was looking at her quite intently. She looked like a woman you wouldn't want to cross or meet in a dark alley. Marie looked at each of the houses, slightly unsure to which she was supposed to go when a firm hand turned and guided her towards a table of bronze and blue. Ravenclaw; where they cheered for their new student proudly.

Sitting at the table with her new Housemates, she tried not to wince when she was slapped on the back in congratulations. Ignoring the smiles of those around her Marie glanced across the hall to Colin's table. He looked slightly downcast but picked up when she waved at him. Two redhead boys pounced on Colin and began to rib him about something, although she didn't know what. A polite tap from the boy beside her told her that the Sorting was continuing.

She wasn't the only new student to join Ravenclaw that night; eight more students followed her and joined the ranks at the table. Altogether there were five new female students, including herself, and four new male students. Marie sat between the polite boy with the P badge pinned to his robes and a blonde girl who had a certain vagueness about her and had just followed after Marie's own sorting.

The man, whom she recognised from the hospital, stood up and made a short speech about the school and a few of its rules. With a wave of his arms, the plates filled with food, and even from her seat on another table, Marie could still hear Colin's loud exclamation of "Wicked" and the sound of the camera taking each shot. Glancing around at the other students tucking in, Marie felt overwhelmed. Glancing up to the Head table she sought his gaze as she tried to gain silent approval. His slight nod confirmed her thoughts and as he turned to continue his conversation with a dour looking man Marie had begun to peel the long heavy gloves from her hands.

Placing the gloves carefully in her lap, Marie wiggled her fingers a little trying to will some circulation into them. The girl next to her giggled slightly and took some mashed potato from the middle of the table. Smiling lightly and helping herself to some chicken and potatoes, Marie turned to listen to the conversations surrounding her from both older and younger students.

"-flew in a car or that's what Jordan told me."

"I reckon they'll be expelled surely that's a breach of the Misuse of Magic rule."

"No under paragraph thirteen dash nine-"

"Marie?" Elizabeth, who had been sorted into Ravenclaw immediately after Marie, smiled and asked her question again. "What was your first sign of Magic, Marie?"

"Pardon?" Marie asked, her skin flushing with heat and embarrassment. "First sign of Magic?"

"Yeah like I first showed signs two Christmas's ago. My cousin Marcus and his brother Vincent were picking on me and pushing me around. On Christmas Day Vincent spiked my drink with Pepper-Up and Marcus would not stop laughing at me. I got so mad at him and I remember just thinking he is such an ass." Elizabeth said, pausing for dramatic effect. Marie and her fellow students waited patiently for Elizabeth to continue. "Mother said I'm going to be brilliant at Transfiguration- it took the Healers four hours to transfigure Marcus back from a donkey!" The first years and a few of the older students laughed as they knew the Slytherin boy Elizabeth was talking about. Marie smiled and realized that now that Elizabeth's story had ended they were all waiting for her answer.

Her first sign of Magic. She remembered the boy smiling at her, his gentle touch and the pain that had ripped through her. She remembered the constant rhythmic sounds of the machines keeping her alive. She remembered the metallic feel of the wires running in and out of her body. She remembered her new Headmaster, who smelt like lemons, slumping down in his seat when he asked her to take his hand. She remembered life.

"It wasn't that bad was it?" Elizabeth asked worriedly at the frowning girl.

"No! No." Marie said quickly, forcing a strained smile on her face. "Pretty much the same, really."

"Hmmm," Elizabeth said, turning her attention to a Halfblood boy down the table.

"Mine wasn't happy either," a small almost dreary voice said from her right hand side. The vague dreamy girl sat up and brushed the long blonde hair from out of her face. "I'm Luna Lovegood," Luna said, extending her hand to Marie. Marie moved her hands from the table and put them on her lap, she nervously pulled her gloves back on underneath the table.

"Marie-"

"Holmes, I heard. Don't worry, you're not alone," Luna said in her strange voice, her hand moving away from its extended state to pick up a spoon. Marie doubted Luna that she wasn't alone, she had never felt more so- away from her family and friends and school. Though she didn't talk for the remainder of the feast she often felt Luna's gaze on her on more than one occasion.

The feast had ended and the Prefect next to her led them all out of the Great Hall. Marie walked past a group of older students whispering about two second years causing trouble on their first day back but Marie couldn't hear the rest of the conversation as she had to run to keep up with the quick moving Prefect.

The Prefect explained as they went about secret passageways in the school, moving portraits and staircases as well as a variety of trick staircases that they had to be wary of. Marie's first experience with the staircases was when one suddenly lurched violently to one side and began to move away leaving a group of older students behind. Luna had grabbed her hand unexpectedly at that moment almost causing Marie to scream, but Luna's comforting squeeze helped her nerves somewhat.

The Prefect led them over to the west side of the Castle, to outside a statue of a woman holding a book with one hand and a wand in the other.

"This wonderful lady is the Founder of Ravenclaw House, her name is Rowena and we treat her with the utmost respect. This week's password is 'There is no knowledge to be found in Shouting.' " As the Prefect said this the wand tip of the witch glowed softly and extended across to the opposing wall where a door quickly appeared. Opening the door up into an octagonal room, the Prefect ushered the new students into their new home.

"Curfew is at nine pm, so make sure you're back here by then. Girls' dormitories to your left and boys' to your right. Breakfast starts at seven and class starts at nine. House points are awarded for good behaviour or excelling in classes and lost for bad behaviour. Timetables will be given out in the morning. Any questions?" The Prefect asked as the students tried to take in the atmosphere as well as the Prefect's quick speech. "Good. I'll see you all tomorrow breakfast, then."

Marie followed the girls' path towards the dormitories and was at the foot of the steps when a voice called out.

"Marie Holmes? Professor Flitwick wants to see you."


End file.
